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Hotspot – South Korea

Regular readers of this column will know that I typically focus on spaces that are in the grip of urges to control, possess, administer and exploit. But geopolitical hotspots can embody broader social issues. Women and children often end up bearing the brunt of civil wars and violence. How this violence is justified, legitimised and, indeed, normalised also reflects and manifests underlying power structures and ideologies. So, gender can play a powerful role in geopolitics, whether on the home front, the battlefront or in So what can we learn from an episode during the first official visit of South Korea’s president, Park Geun-Hye, to the USA, when a young Korean–American intern who was assisting the presidential visit accused one of President Park’s spokesmen, Yoon Chang Jung, of touching her inappropriately? Yoon maintains that there was no harassment or sexual assault, blaming ‘cultural differences’ and a failure to understand ‘American culture’. But a few days after the story broke, President Park fired him and issued a public apology. However, the apology did little to stem the flood of criticism in South Korea. Critics, including members of the Democratic Party in Seoul, have called for a more thorough investigation, not only of the disgraced spokesman, but also of other government officials who were involved in the incident and its immediate aftermath. Needless to say, North Korean state media were swift to join in the chorus of condemnation. And within the US Korean community, there has also been anger at alleged attempts by… [Read full story]

By Hannah GarrardI’m looking across the 4 kilometer green belt of land that separates South Korea from North Korea. Left virtually untouched for sixty years, red cranes and wild deer live here, gently picking their way around thousands of landmines scattered amidst the ginseng, diamond bluebell, Russian iris, and clematis. The scene is hushed and still. The so-called demilitarized zone (DMZ) is the most dangerous nature reserve in the world, and symbolic of one of the oldest, and still active, ideological splits in history.Through binoculars, I count the silvery peaks of mountains that break the sky, and signify North Korean…... [Read more]

Xenophobic hysteria just got a whole lot worse on the Korean peninsula.South Korea has an unfortunate history of mass hysteria and severe paranoia, a result of gross national contempt for the world beyond its borders. Perhaps this is understandable for a nation so frequently abused by others and troubled by the outside world.In spite of their attempts at ‘globalization’ and the ‘openness’ that has helped lift South Korea from the third world to the first, many Koreans still maintain a fear and loathing of anything non-Korean.It says foreigners are unqualified and dangerous to let into your homeImage from Wandering SeoulIn…... [Read more]

Cebu Pacific Air celebrates its 10th year of operations in South Korea on October 2012. CEB first flew to South Korea with flights to Incheon (Seoul) in 2002. It now operates a total of thrice daily flights from Manila and Cebu to Incheon (Seoul), and a total of eight weekly flights from Manila and Cebu to Busan. Lowest year-round fares between South Korea and the Philippines start at PHP3,999.“Incheon was CEB’s 2nd international destination, launched on the same year we began international flights. Since 2002, we have recognized how important it is to provide direct linkage between the Philippines and…... [Read more]

Emirates Airline announced that it would begin operating its ultra-modern and environmentally-friendly A380 aircraft to Seoul's Incheon International Airport in November 2009. The new service is perfectly timed to coincide with Visit Korea Year in 2010, where the national government and the city of Seoul are joining forces with the private sector to promote South Korea as a destination for international tourism. The new service represents the aviation world’s first A380 operation to Seoul, as well as Emirates’ first A380 service to North East Asia. It follows the successful deployment of Emirates’ A380s to New York and London, and soon-to-be-launched…... [Read more]

Pacific World, the global DMC, Event Management and PCO organization, have announced their expansion into South Korea, the growing MICE destination and travel hub in North-East Asia. The expansion of PW into South Korea is made possible through a strategic partnership with Kims Travel Co Ltd., a local inbound expert.Harsha Krishnan, Strategic Development Director at Pacific World said: “South Korea is a top class meetings & incentives destination and with the expansion of Pacific World into South Korea, we are now able to deliver outstanding experiences to our clients in this new destination. We are delighted to be able to…... [Read more]